User blog:Neildown/A Personal Outlook and Opinion on Redwallwars Ethics

Sorry about the long title - I just wanted to stand out. And it really says all.

It has come to my attention - the amount of change that has occurred within faster-paced chatting since my beginnings at Redwall Wiki to my current time on Redwall Wars Wiki.

When I was at Redwall Wiki, there was a lot of restriction on what we could talk about on the shoutbox. Religion and politics were completely off-limits, and the chat itself was quite stone-age, having to be refreshed constantly if you wanted to see replies. Nonetheless, everyone had a great time on it. I remember tons of great conversations, even though I don't remember them all individually, and even though the shoutbox was kind of a pain once in awhile it made for a lot of interesting conversations, what with the delays involved.

Then we lost the beloved shoutbox, and we replaced it with Speeqe and, eventually, the new Wikia Chat. Both were major jumps from the shoutbox technologically, but over the years I feel we have sacrificed more than we have earned. Conversations are no longer simple, fun, or laid-back. It's all about time or attention anymore. When we see someone sitting alone on speeqe or chat we say "hi, how are you?" the favor is returned, and there is no further conversation unless someone else pops in [I myself am very guilty of this too I'm afraid] or you have something to show to everyone. During the shoutbox days though, I was genuinely happy to see an acquaintance available to speak with, and we'd greet each other and start chattering about some Redwall-related topic.

Now, when I see people on speeqe, I'm more prone to think - "Look, people. Better say hi because I don't want to be rude..." Sad but true. So I got to thinking, "Why is this, and how has it happened?"

Perhaps it has a lot to do with my real life. I'm often stressed about being behind in schoolwork or other pressing matters any other teen has. I used to get stressed about not having art requests done as fast as possible, but for some reason that has almost been erased from my conscience. It's as if I feel no dignity in giving artwork anymore - no passion for showing myself to be a man of my word [and don't comment on my status, Pinedance!].

But back to solving the puzzle. I think too many people take too many things for granted anymore - including online chat. I haven't encountered a nice conversation with more than one person since Danthemanb showed up again earlier in the month. He still seemed to have the same spirit he had back at Redwall Wiki. I don't know if I can say the same about anyone else here, honestly, except a select few; but I won't mention names so I'm not pelted with lemons [not that I don't have a general idea on how to make lemonade].

The conversation was basically random nonsense, but it was communal random nonsense. It wasn't for the sake of "carrying on" a conversation, it was for the sake of "having" a conversation. It went on because everyone was genuinely interested in being a part of it. It wasn't taken for granted.

Now we get to the average chatting session that goes on normally. You have one or more of the following:

(a) Someone with big news

(b) The usual RP discussion crap [no offense, it's just a term of speech]

(c) Someone with bad news

(d) Someone with bad news

(e) Someone with bad news who doesn't want to talk about it, yet burdens other people with it.

(f) Someone who is talking about death, depression or sadness, burdening others with it, yet not talking about it or trying to work it out in any evident way. [believe it or not, this is very common]

(g) A semi-great conversation [believe it or not, these are rare]

I don't mean to be rude, but it's ridiculous. Redwall Wars and its affiliated sites [ie. Redwallwars Speeqe, DoomRPG Wiki, etc.] are all about having fun! Sure, it's great if you come here when you have a problem, but the catch is - if you have one and you're going to complain about it... do so without bringing everyone else down with you. Unless it is something you want help with, quit complaining! No one wants to hear your sob-stories if you aren't going to talk about them, and if you don't want to talk about them there are three things to remember:

1 - Keep it short, sweet, and not over-dramatic.

2 - When you are done, don't mope and make a big show of it.

3 - Buck up and realize you are not the only person with problems.

4 - Realize that a problem is only a problem if you perceive it to be one.

5 - Stop taking things for granted. This includes the life you are living at this very moment; every friend that you ever talk to; and the fact that we have two great alternatives to the shoutbox.

So I think there was a conclusion to that! Instead of whining about things, people at Redwall Wiki would normally either share the problem, work it out, or not share it at all. And you know what? It was always a great place to talk!

And so, I finally offer a proposition to everyone who agrees with me. Instead of going on chat or speeqe with an apathetic-like mindset, go on realizing that you do have actual friends on the other side of your... uhm... keyboard. Greet and treat them like you would any other friend you have in real life, and don't take them for granted.

And most importantly, this is the end of my opinion - thank God.